Persuasive Position Paper – Sustainability Design – 20% Assignment Descriiption

Persuasive Position Paper – Sustainability Design – 20%
Assignment Descriiption
Late submissions will be
accepted with 10% of the final mark deducted per day late, unless previously arranged.
You will be writing a 2000-word persuasive position paper on a sustainability design topic of
your choice.
Context:
You are a consultant on a large environmental design project (a multi-story building).
There is debate within the stakeholders (ie. CEO, COO, Architect, Investors) about whether
certain sustainability design elements should be included in the overall design of the project.
There is significant debate about the importance and impact of including sustainable design
features into this project. As a response to this, this paper is a well-researched, persuasive
argument explaining why this project should include your sustainable design feature of
choice.
You should write this in a professional and persuasive tone (do not use I / you in sentences).
How to choose your topic:
You should choose a topic that we covered in class. Be specific about your topic, for example,
“reduce carbon emissions” or “use only sustainable materials” is too broad. Think of your
chosen topic as a major design feature or element, rather than an entire category of
sustainability efforts.
You are welcome to submit your chosen topic for feedback to Julia Segal or Michael Yu prior
to beginning writing your paper. This is optional. Please allow for 48 hours (M-F) for a
response if sent by email.
This assignment will be graded on the following criteria:
4 3 2 1 0
Completion
All requirements
are met with a
high degree of
quality and
professionalism
All requirements
are met with a
mostly high
degree of quality
and
professionalism
Most requirements
are met with a
somewhat high
degree of quality
and
professionalism
Some
requirements are
met, or are met
with some degree
of quality and
professionalism
Few or no
requirements are
met, or are met
with a low degree
of quality
How to select your sources:
You should rely on multiple reputable sources that support your paper. These sources should
be a combination of scholarly / academic sources, reputable institutions and reputable
practitioner sources. For example, you can cite investigative journalistic sources or official
government bodies. Please apply critical thinking skills when selecting your sources.
You may use course content as a source. Please cite the date of the lecture and the slide
number. If the lecture material was based on another source, use the original source for your
citation.
What a good paper looks like:
You can structure and write this paper however you like, as long as it is persuasive and
professional. Be sure to include ample detail about the element you have chosen and its
importance. Explain it in context of larger sustainability efforts. Try to anticipate stakeholder
questions and concerns, and address these in your paper (ie. budget).
Assignment Submission Checklist
Professionally written paper in 12 pt font, 1” margins
Approximately 2000 words. Should not be less than 1800 or more than 2400
Include an original title
The content must contain
A minimum of 8 sources, cited in-text (where applicable), APA 7 style. There is
no limit to sources.
A minimum of two short case study examples